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Longmont firefighters pluck skydiver off of roof after hard landing

Man's injuries not life threatening

By Pierrette J. ShieldsLongmont Times-Call

Posted:
07/05/2013 06:00:07 PM MDT

Updated:
07/06/2013 06:04:26 PM MDT

A 31-year-old man was blown off course about 1 mile south of Vance Brand Municipal Airport and landed his parachute on the residence at 4115 Florentine Drive just after 4 p.m. Friday. (Brenda Darrow-Fuhs/Courtesy photo)

LONGMONT -- A skydiver who had a hard landing onto the roof of a home on Florentine Drive about a mile south of Vance Brand Municipal Airport on Friday afternoon suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to police.

Longmont firefighters mounted the roof of the home at 4115 Florentine Drive, provided first aid to the 31-year-old man, and then used a backboard and a bucket truck to return him safely to the ground as neighbors watched the scene. He was taken to Longmont United Hospital for treatment.

Longmont Police Cmdr. Jeff Satur said that the man, a Montrose resident, was scheduled for surgery on Saturday to repair his left leg, which was fractured below the knee during his landing.

A 31-year-old man was blown off course about 1 mile south of Vance Brand Municipal Airport and landed his parachute on the residence at 4115 Florentine Drive just after 4 p.m. Friday. (Brenda Darrow-Fuhs/Courtesy photo)

The homeowners were away from the house at the time of the landing, which left a hole in the roof, according to neighbors.

James Rutledge said he was working outside when he heard the impact. He said it sounded like plywood snapping.

"I knew something wasn't right," he said.

Shortly before he had heard the skydiving plane take off and the parachutes open, so he knew the crash was related, he said.

Rutledge said a woman who was driving in the area saw the skydiver hit the roof and ran to the home. He joined her and they saw the man trying to find a way down.

"We had to tell him repeatedly not to get off the roof," he said.

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Longmont Police Officer David Kennedy said police and fire were dispatched to the home at 4:02 p.m. and that it appeared that wind gusts up to 19 knots -- or nearly 22 mph -- blew the man off course. He landed about a mile south of Vance Brand Municipal Airport and suffered some injuries to his knees.

The man was wearing shorts during his dive, witnesses said.

Firefighters secured a tarp over the hole in the roof before leaving the scene.

Longmont Fire Capt. Ron Graham estimated that it took about 15 minutes to provide aid and remove the man from the roof.

"They did a good job," he said.

Satur said Saturday that the man's wife and family said they're "very thankful to the witnesses who located him in the neighborhood and the rescuers who helped get him off the roof."

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